Bare shelves at area Market Basket stores have led customers to defect to other supermarkets.

Trucchi’s supermarkets is among local grocery chains seeing a boost in business. ...

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Bare shelves force customers elsewhere

Bare shelves at area Market Basket stores have led customers to defect to other supermarkets.

Trucchi’s supermarkets is among local grocery chains seeing a boost in business.

“I’d be lying to you if I wasn’t happy with the increased volume, anybody would be,” said Jim Trucchi, CEO of Trucchi’s Supermarkets, with stores in Middleboro, Abington, West Bridgewater, New Bedford and Taunton.

“But I don’t like to see it done in this manner,” Trucchi said Thursday. “That feud is between the Demoulas family and that’s none of my business.”

Trucchi said he’s paying his workers overtime to meet the increased demand at his stores.

“We’re just trying to handle it as much as we can,” Trucchi said. “People are going to need an alternative place to shop. I’m doing the best I can to serve them.”

Shaw’s supermarkets – with stores in communities including Brockton, Easton, Canton, Stoughton, Taunton, Hanson, Raynham, and Randolph – are also seeing an uptick in business and employees have been working to keep shelves stocked, said company spokesman Jeff Gulko.

“There’s definitely been a substantial increase,” Gulko said. “We have two distribution centers in Methuen. They’ve increased their shipments and they’ve had to obviously adjust to be able to keep up.”

“The stores are busy,” said Blom. “We’re really doing what we do every day, which is make sure the shelves are very well-stocked, the customers are being served, and that customers have a good experience in the store.”

Calls to the Stop & Shop supermarket chain were not returned Thursday.

In some cases, customers have taped receipts from competitors to Market Basket windows. Receipts from Trucchi’s and other grocery chains were taped to the entrance door of the Market Basket in West Bridgewater Thursday.

Christina Figueiredo, a Market Basket customer who lives in Taunton, said low stock at her favorite supermarket has led her to go elsewhere.

“It’s sad. I had to go to three stores to find seafood stuffing that Market Basket always carries,” said Figueiredo, 31.

Figueiredo and her 2-year-old daughter, Demi, held a protest sign outside of the West Bridgewater store on Thursday.

“It’s sad that it’s taking this long,” she said of a Market Basket resolution.

BROCKTON – As Market Basket workers outside the Brockton store chanted “ATD! ATD! ATD!” – urging the company to reinstate their ousted and beloved CEO Arthur T. Demoulas – a different song played inside, on overhead speakers, as a handful of customers walked through virtually empty store aisles on Thursday.

“We’re not gon-na take it! We – are – Mark-et Bask-et! We’re not gon-na take it anymore!” the song – its lyrics revised from Twisted Sister's ’80s heavy metal tune – echoed across the store.

Large portraits of Demoulas were displayed at stores in West Bridgewater and Brockton on Thursday, as workers continued their protests – some while on the job, others on their own time – for the company’s Board of Directors to bring him back.

“He’s a great guy and we want him back,” said store clerk John Cantave, 21, of Brockton, who spent his day off outside the Brockton store holding a colorful sign that said: “Keep calm. Mr. Demoulas will come back. I believe.”

Outside the store on Route 106 in West Bridgewater, several employees sat in lawn chairs holding signs while others stood their ground on green grass. They raised their arms and shouted “Yeah!” as several motorists and truckers honked their horns while driving by. The Raynham store’s 400 workers have also participated in the movement.

“We’re fighting for what’s right. We’re fighting to get Artie T. back. We’re not feeding the greed. We’re not giving in,” said Michelle Keegan, 33, of West Bridgewater, a produce worker at the West Bridgewater store.

Keegan was protesting after reporting to work Thursday.

“We’ve been cleaning and now there’s nothing left to do,” Keegan said, as she stood next to a near-empty store parking lot. “Now we’re just fighting and fighting.”

A workers’ revolt at the Market Basket supermarket chain has led to empty shelves, angry customers and support for a boycott from more than 100 state legislators and mayors.

Customers including Anne Nee of East Bridgewater, who picked up milk at the Brockton store Thursday, were hoping for a resolution.

“Hopefully it will get back to full bloom soon, absolutely,” Nee said. “I miss it.”

Joe Berg, an 8-year Market Basket employee, said he wants things to return to “normal.”

“I miss all the people,” said Berg, 28, of Raynham, as he stocked jars of pasta sauce onto shelves in the West Bridgewater store Thursday.

Berg said four members of his family – himself, his mother and two sisters – are employed by Market Basket stores in Raynham, Brockton and West Bridgewater.

Page 2 of 2 - The Brockton store was operating with a “skeleton” crew Thursday – about one-tenth the number of workers usually on the job, said store manager Glenn Connors, a 36-year employee.

Connors is not concerned about recent demands by chief executives that employees, who have stayed off the job to demand Demoulas’ return, must return to work by Monday.

A statement Wednesday said the workers can return without penalty. It also says the company will begin seeking replacements for those who do not.

“I’m not concerned about that,” said Connors, of Peabody. “People who are running the company aren’t running the company. Arthur T. Demoulas is our president and CEO. We want him back.”

Managers and assistant managers of 68 of the 71 New England stores signed petitions saying they would resign if Demoulas isn’t restored “with full authority.”

The New England grocery store chain is embroiled in a family feud featuring two cousins who have been at odds for decades.

The Market Basket board, controlled by his cousin Arthur S. Demoulas, fired Demoulas in June. Employees, loyal to Arthur T., have held protests and refused to make warehouse deliveries to stores. The board said it continues to evaluate offers to buy the supermarket chain, including one from Arthur T. Demoulas.

On Thursday, several fruit, vegetable, seafood and meat shelves were bare at both the West Bridgewater and Brockton stores.

While shopping in the dairy section of the Brockton store, Catherine Morris of Brockton called the situation “embarrassing.”

Morris, 29, said her family relies on Market Basket “with their great food, their service and just everything, low prices.”

“It’s embarrassing in terms of it had to get to this point, and it shouldn’t have to,” Morris said.

Material from The Associated Press was used in this report. Maria Papadopoulos may be reached at mpapa@enterprisenews.com or follow on Twitter @MariaP_ENT.